A treasure basket, in its purest sense, is a round basket containing objects made from mostly natural materials that are attractive to babies. It is full to the brim so that babies can delve in, select what appeals to them and explore the texture, weight, shape, size and smell of the objects. The idea was pioneered by Elinor Goldschmied in the 1940s when she observed children's natural interest in collections of household objects. Her work has inspired many practitioners and parents to create their own treasure baskets.
Goldschmied's approach is quite prescriptive, particularly when it comes to the size and contents of the basket. She recommends a round basket not less than 14 inches (351mm) in diameter and four to five inches (101-125mm) deep for use with babies who can sit up but not yet crawl.
The market now offers a range of baskets containing beautifully crafted treasures and unusual products, often sourced by individuals working closely with the early years sector. But sometimes practitioners or commercial companies present items in a basket that are not within the ethos that Goldschmied intended.
Natasha MacEwan, a mother with an interest in early education, met Goldschmied in 2002. She says, 'Over the years, Elinor spoke about her frustrations with people using the wrong size or shape basket, or if they filled it with plastic items or used it for the wrong age group.' She was so inspired by Goldschmied's work that she set up a company selling empty hand-made willow treasure baskets woven to the correct size and shape (see www.thetreasurebasket.co.uk).
Jools Page, lecturer and programme director for the MA in Early Childhood Education at the University of Sheffield, strongly believes that the pureness of Goldschmied's concept - particularly the role of the adult - is 'lost' if we transfer it into something different. She is not against practitioners making changes to the original concept to fit in with the context of their setting, but she says to call it a treasure basket would be 'wrong', adding, 'It's important that they think carefully about what's appropriate for the child in context.'
No copyright
Bernadette Duffy, head of Thomas Coram children's centre in London, points out that while there's no 'copyright' on the words treasure baskets, they no doubt work best when people understand the thinking behind the concept as it was originally intended.
Julian Grenier, head of the Kate Greenaway Children's Centre in London, says there is a danger that practitioners could 'forget it's a specialist resource for babies' if they call it a treasure basket every time they put something into a basket. But he believes that those who have a good understanding of Goldschmied's work should be allowed to modify certain aspects of her teaching.
'I think it's possible to interact with babies as long as the interaction is led by the baby and the practitioner isn't drowning them in language. As for content, I believe there's no harm in going beyond what she suggests by including some plastic and rubber. There should be scope to be creative. As for the shape and dimensions, it's important that the basket doesn't tip, but there may be different ways around this.'
EARLY EXCELLENCE TREASURE BASKET
Age range: 6-12 months
Price: £75 (plus £8.75 for guidance notes)
Contact: 01422 311314
This is a round British-made willow basket (14in x 5in) containing 24 objects, including wooden and metal objects, natural materials, scarves and ribbons. Some of the products are sourced from outside Europe and some from kitchen suppliers. Jenny Woodbridge, joint director of Early Excellence, a training and resource centre in Huddersfield, says, 'Goldschmied's work is highly regarded. We've taken her knowledge and translated it into a product. We try to source interesting products, such as spoons with curly handles.'
- Tested by Dulverton Children's Centre, Somerset
'We used this with babies from six to nine months old who could sit up. Each time we set it up, the babies went back to the same items. Some were interested in the wooden objects, some liked the cold metal items and others were interested in the shiny objects. They delved into the full basket to pull out objects they wanted to play with. They felt the shape, texture and size and put them in their mouths. One child with Down's Syndrome explored all the objects through taste and touch. The booklet gave good ideas for other objects that could be included in the basket. For babies of this age and children with special needs, the basket really supports exploratory play and enhances personal and social development. However, we did feel it was overpriced. Staff felt they could make a basket up themselves cheaper.'
Star Ratings: 4 out of 5 - Very Good
PLAYSCOPE COMPLETE SET
PLAY TO Z
AGE RANGE: 6 months to 6 years
PRICE: £150 (£116 without activity cards)
CONTACT: 01206 796722
www.playtoz.co.uk
This includes a natural hessian and fleece Sensac containing round organic British willow treasure basket (12.5in x 5in), 50 natural objects, many environmentally friendly and sourced in Britain from socially responsible centres working with adults with learning difficulties, two sets of 20 age-appropriate activity cards linked to the EYFS framework, and guidance notes.
Sue Gascoyne, managing director of Play to Z, deliberately chose a slightly smaller-diameter basket than Goldschmied suggests because she found that some settings do not have the space to store a larger round basket. She says, 'Experts advise that a good treasure basket should be full to the brim and contain around 80 to 100 items. To fill a basket measuring 14 inches to the brim would make it too expensive for most settings wanting to buy one.' Her resource is also being used with SEN children up to the age of 19.
- Tested by Baby Barns Kindergarten, Colchester, Essex
'I used this with babies from six to nine months who could sit up. The content is well thought-out, carefully sourced and in keeping with Goldshmeid's suggestions. It offers babies a rich variety of objects to stimulate all their senses. They sat for long periods totally absorbed in the "real" items, making decisions on what to explore next. The activity cards had a limited use due to the age range in the nursery. However, the few that were used proved very successful. They would be a valuable resource to use with older children and children with SEN. My only issue is the size of the basket. It is too small.
'I think naming it a treasure basket limits its use to younger children. In reality, it's a valuable resource for all ages and it would be better it was marketed as an activity basket. This could be good value for money if used to its full potential if a nursery did not want to produce its own basket. My score is based on the cards used in conjunction with the basket.'
Star Ratings: 4 out of 5 - Very Good
ENCLOSURE BASKET
EARLY YEARS PLANNING
Age: 15 to 36 months
Price: £68
Contact: 0780 7084419
www.earlyyearsplanning.co.uk
Round or oval basket with handles measuring 11in x 9.8in x 4in containing a selection of natural materials and four different sets of stacking boxes, dolls or tins to open and unwrap with 'treasure' inside. Aimed at children who enjoy hiding in dens or wrapping themselves in blankets.
The owner, who has worked with nurseries and playgroups for many years, sources her products from local and European markets, and Ikea. She says, 'I found that staff often had difficulty convincing management of the benefits of make-your-own treasure baskets. If it was something tangible that they could buy, it was often a more convincing. So I decided to fill a gap in the market by selling treasure baskets that focus on schemas.'
- Tested by Tamworth Early Years Children's Centre, Basin Lane, Tamworth, Staffordshire
'Children were observed moving the objects from one place to another (transporting) as well as moving the objects in and out of the containers (enclosure/containing). They really enjoyed exploring the basket and the different textures, and it was a great resource for developing vocabulary. We found it worked best with two-year-olds who were at the stage where they were exploring their environment.
'For us, this was more of a heuristic play basket than a treasure basket in the traditional sense of the word. I can see where the confusion would arise if you are selling a treasure basket commercially that doesn't fit with Goldschmied's definitions, but for us this was a valuable resource that the children were really engaged in. Some of the contents were really good.
'We loved the 'Russian cat dolls'. But the cardboard boxes became damaged after only one use. It does seem expensive at £68, but if money was no object, we'd buy them in every shape and size.'
Star Ratings: 4 out of 5 - Very Good
HERITAGE BABY BASKET
Age range: 9-18 months
Price: £49
Contact: 01905 756 701
www.heritagetreasurebaskets.co.uk
This lined round willow basket (12in x 4-5in) contains 35 treasures including shells, fabrics, brushes, keys and spice bags. The custom-made willow baskets are imported from Romania through a fair trade company and other items, such as the shells, are ethically traded and from sustainable sources.
Mary Horn, a retired educationalist, set up the family-run business two years ago after helping a friend to create treasure baskets for a course she was running. She says, 'Being retired, I had the time to find things that were not available on the High Street or were expensive if bought singly. It just snowballed from there.' She now supplies local authorities, nurseries and settings with treasure baskets aimed at under-threes.
- Tested by Clowns Day Nursery, Golders Green, London
'The basket was very successful with a child who had visual impairment. He particularly enjoyed the round objects, and the rustling sounds made by the foil blanket encouraged him to further explore. No prompting was needed and the babies were naturally inquisitive. I was amazed at the effectiveness of Goldshmeid's technique of standing back and smiling. One 12-month-old kept crawling away from the basket and each time I smiled at him he came back. We had some crawlers who loved it. But we found the older children, aged 17 months, lost interest relatively quickly. It's definitely worth the money. It would cost this much or more to source.'
Star Ratings: 4 out of 5 - Very Good
WOODEN TREASURE BASKET
TTS Group
Age range: 6 months-plus
Price: £31
Contact: 0800 318686
www.tts-group.co.uk
This oval basket (15in x 11in x 3.5in) contains two tree barks, two pebbles, two leaves, two wooden rabbits, one fair trade star brush, a wooden dice and a heart-shaped bowl.
- Tested by Carrie Bennett, childminder, Hampshire
'The textures were child-friendly and compellingly tactile. The babies chewed with glee and marvelled at the contrasting colours. The older ones pillaged bits for board games and other fantasy games. The younger ones explored texture and maths-related language and related the items back to the world around them. It's good value if you're requiring a base product for your setting that you can add to - I added shells, pine cones, feathers and cotton wool. Sourcing all the items individually would be hard work and costly. The basket doesn't fit Goldschmied's prescription - the contents were limited and it was the wrong dimensions - but I don't use treasure baskets in a prescribed way.'
Star Ratings: 4 out of 5 - Very Good
THE LITTLE BOOK OF TREASURE BASKETS
by Sally Featherstone, Ann Roberts
A & C Black
Price: £6.79
Contact: 020 77580200
www.acblack.com
- Tested by LARK Children's Centre, Plymouth, Cornwall
'The book is well written and contains good ideas on the types of resources that can be collected to make up a treasure basket. It explains what areas of the child's development are being used by exploring them, what skills they may gain and the role of the adult. There is a chapter on schema and special educational needs. We use treasure baskets on a daily basis at the centre and find them particularly useful for children with special needs. The book is good value for money.'
Star Ratings: 4 out of 5 - Very Good
BEST BUY
For Julian Grenier, head of Kate Greenaway Children's Centre, London
'We've recently developed four new treasure baskets for our centre. Practitioners had so much enjoyment making them themselves. They bought things from hardware shops and market stalls, and asked parents to bring in items from their homes or holidays. As well as the standard objects, we included rubber balls with bumpy surfaces - babies are interested in the texture and like to put them in their mouths - and rubber spatulas used for cooking. It's a great way to show parents how to provide high-quality resources with no batteries. We commissioned our willow basket from www.willowbaskets.biz at a cost of £26.'
